Watch video of an Iraqi bulldozer taking on an ISIS suicide car bomber in west Mosul

A
still image from a video of an Iraqi bulldozer blocking an ISIS
suicide car bomber.Iraqi
Day/Twitter

LONDON (Reuters) - Dramatic footage released this week shows the
moment a bulldozer driven by an Iraqi security force member
tackles an explosive-filled car driven by a suicide bomber,
offering a rare, close-up view of the fierce battle for control
of Mosul.

According to the Iraqi media outlet that uploaded the footage on
Wednesday, the incident took place in west Mosul, where Iraqi
forces have been engaged in fierce fighting with Islamic State
militants as they seek to push them out of the city.

The footage, shot on a camera apparently mounted in the driver's
cabin, shows the bulldozer confronting a dust-covered car driving
toward it, using its front bucket to push the car toward a nearby
building.

The car then appears to explode with a flash of fire and smoke.
The bulldozer driver can then be heard speaking on a radio with
another person.

In a separate video, a soldier from the elite Counter Terrorism
Service whom local media identified as the driver of the
bulldozer described the incident: "He came out from the side
road. He did not know which way to go. We came face to face. He
tried running away from my side. So I blocked him and he blew
himself up."

Islamic State militants have been using abandoned vehicles to
make roadblocks in the city, a tactic Iraqi forces have employed
bulldozers to overcome.

Earlier this week, Reuters reported that Islamic State fighters
were planting bombs near front doors in Mosul to prevent
civilians leaving, as Iraqi forces make a final push against the
jihadists after seven months of fighting.

(Writing by Mark Hanrahan in London; editing by Janet Lawrence)

Read the original article on Reuters. Copyright 2017. Follow Reuters on Twitter.